First of all sorry if this is a n00b question, I've searched google and couldn't turn up any information since this is an old socket. I've got a computer in my lounge hooked up to a projector, nothing fancy, maximum resolution is 800x600 for playing Gamecube titles on dolphin.

I upgraded the CPU from a Pentium E5300 (Dual core 2.6GHz+2mb cache, 45nm 65w) to the Pentium E6700 which I had in the garage and noticed a bit of a performance increase.

I was wondering if upgrading to, for example a Core 2 Duo e8400 (3.0GHz 6mb cache, 45nm 65w) would provide a noticeable benefit to Dolphin's performance in my circumstances? The clock is slightly lower but it has 3x the L2 cache and SSE4 instructions which the Pentium E6700 doesn't. How about a Core 2 Quad with a lower clock but more cores?

I know socket 775 is old now but I've already got everything and if I upgraded would need to invest in a motherboard/memory/cpu which isn't worth it IMO for a basic emulator/multimedia box.

The computer is in the lounge in a TV cabinet so overclocking isn't an option (heat issues) and possibly Quad core would be an issue (lower clocks and heat but unsure which is why I'm asking)

You're not going to be able to get much of an upgrade from that at stock speeds. You will likely see a bit of an increase going to an E8400 but how much is unknown. I would guess 10-20% just because dolphin is so cache heavy. A core 2 quad would likely give you similar performance since the lower clock rate would negate the small increase that the extra cores would give you.

Even if you did want to OC with a G31M you're going to have trouble. That's a very low end board and as long as you have decent cooling core 2 OCing is primarily limited by how much you can raise the FSB before your motherboard chipset becomes unstable.

The absolute best option would be a used core 2 extreme yorkfield which you would likely have to get off of ebay or a similar site. However those have a high TDP at stock. 130w if I recall.

You really need to upgrade your entire system.

"Normally if given a choice between doing something and nothing, I’d choose to do nothing. But I would do something if it helps someone else do nothing. I’d work all night if it meant nothing got done."
-Ron Swanson

"I shall be a good politician, even if it kills me. Or if it kills anyone else for that matter. "
-Mark Antony

juzza Wrote:The computer is in the lounge in a TV cabinet so overclocking isn't an option (heat issues)

"Normally if given a choice between doing something and nothing, I’d choose to do nothing. But I would do something if it helps someone else do nothing. I’d work all night if it meant nothing got done."
-Ron Swanson

"I shall be a good politician, even if it kills me. Or if it kills anyone else for that matter. "
-Mark Antony

Thanks for the replies guys, got the e6700 for free, it was in my garage in my pile of old PC's. Can't over clock because it's a slim htpc case in my TV unit in the lounge so heat and noise would be a concern, as would aftermarket cooling solutions because they wouldn't fit. Was just wondering if dropping in a $50 e8400 or similar would be worthwhile. sorry I typed this my phone

If you did buy an extreme-series socket 775 chip, you'd likely end up spending more on it than you would on a new motherboard and modern processor. This is basically because there's no supply of socket 775 chips, so the price is driven up.

OS: Windows 10 64 bit Professional
CPU: Intel i5 4670K @3.4GHz... for now @4.6GHz with a quick and dirty (yet stable) OC. May get faster in a bit before the end of time.
RAM: 16GB (Down from 24 GB after some was given to siblings)
GPU: Radeon Vega 56

ExtremeDude2 Wrote:There's also the question as to if his mobo can even handle any fancy chips like that

Why? It's a modern LGA775. It should be able to use any LGA775 cpu.

Also I'm pretty sure that there aren't any motherboards that can support core 2 duo/quad but not core 2 extreme. That just wouldn't make any sense. They're from the same generation of cpus! That would be like having a motherboard that supports core i3/i5 sandy bridge cpus but not i7s even though they use the same socket.

And if you need further proof his E5300 is from 2008 and that works fine.

So yeah I don't know where you got that idea from.

"Normally if given a choice between doing something and nothing, I’d choose to do nothing. But I would do something if it helps someone else do nothing. I’d work all night if it meant nothing got done."
-Ron Swanson

"I shall be a good politician, even if it kills me. Or if it kills anyone else for that matter. "
-Mark Antony